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“Our investment in products continues as well. We’re offering
a full range to the West, including bulk and packaged explosives,
as well as initiating systems and blast-based services. Our global
R&D function continually strives to deliver product extensions
for incremental change, through to emergent technologies,
with potential to significantly influence current and future
mining methods,” he said.
Mr Simpson says that these investments are being matched
by increased resourcing of people and fleet. “In particular,
we’re investing in our network of engineers, operators, blast
technicians and account managers, to ensure we’re directly
addressing the needs of our customers.
“Our technical services engineers work with customers
around the world. Innovations they apply at one hard rock mine
can often be leveraged at other sites. We know it is significantly
less expensive to liberate the ore during the blasting process,
than it is to break it in the mill. So, with this in mind, the
challenge is to optimise fragmentation to ensure a reliable and
productive supply of rock to the mill,” said Mr Simpson.
High-quality, bulk explosives are a prerequisite to
achieving the right kind of fragmentation in hard-rock mining.
However, the power of the explosive is only one part of its
overall effectiveness. “You can see a great difference when
you introduce innovative control techniques afforded through
the application of electronic blasting systems to the initiation
sequence,” Mr Simpson added.
At a broader scale, blast design software such as Orica’s
SHOTPlus®-i program allows engineers to design, analyse
and optimise every blast. They can use a range of measurement
and assessment tools to measure outcomes, such as vibration
analysis and damage analysis, and evaluate in real time the
size distribution of rocks in the muck pile dig-face or on a
conveyor belt.
By capturing, consolidating and reporting these results,
engineers can give feedback into the blast design process,
to improve performance on subsequent blasts. Orica uses
this data in its R&D to improve existing products and develop
new capabilities.
The cost of explosives for a mine forms a small part of the
operation’s overall cost structure. Introducing smart technology
into the blasting cycle can significantly improve performance.
“Commercial explosives and blasting systems are no longer
just a commodity – they are part of an integrated approach to
improve productivity, safety and environmental performance of
mining operations,” Mr Simpson concluded.
Kingsgate's clear growth strategy
will underpin significant earnings
and dividend growth for all
shareholders.
Kingsgate ticks all the boxes for a premier
mid-tier gold producer:
Resource Growth
Growth Opportunities
Production Growth
Geopolitical Diversity
Strong Cashflow
www.kingsgate.com.au
Growth through Discovery,
Development and Acquisition
Arqueros, Chile
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ORICA OPERATOR TYING UP SHOT
ON BENCH AT BODDINGTON MINE
Commercial explosives
and blasting systems
are no longer just a
commodity – they are
part of an integrated
approach to improve
productivity, safety and
environmental performance
of mining operations.